Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tracking the past...

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There is something about railroad tracks that intrigues me. Part of it is the wonder that something so old is still in use.

IMG_6442It was in 1873 that land was first set aside for a railroad station in Downey. The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was completed in 1888 and was said to have been the finest terminal outside Los Angeles. In fact, it was once the hub of our community.

Trains still move through Downey, but it is no longer the lifeblood of the city. It seems like something removed from our daily lives. Every once in a while I will hear a train passing through, but even the train whistle seems to be a "blast from the past."  (The second smaller picture shows a stamp in the iron sides with a date of 1939. Maybe these tracks were replaced then.)

2 comments:

  1. Love the date detail you caught. I know what you mean about trains and I think you hit it on the head, it's something from the past still in operation today.

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  2. As soon as I see any road, the researcher instinct wakes up in me. This rail road is so inviting.

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